5G and flight Safety

Published: 24th Jan, 2022

Context

Flights to the United States from India resumed as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cleared the landing of more aircraft even in low-visibility conditions, despite the rollout of C-band 5G technology.

C-band spectrum range is very close to the 4.2-4.4 GHz range in which radio or radar altimeters operate.

About

What is the matter?

The FAA warned that the rollout of new 5G technology by AT&T and Verizon (two of the biggest wireless communications service providers in the US) in the allotted 3.7-3.98 GHz (gigahertz) spectrum might cause interference with onboard sensors like radar altimeters.
Commercial passenger and freight carriers have also warned of an approaching "catastrophic" aviation problem if the 5G deployment proceeds as planned.
Airlines have expressed worry over AT&T and Verizon's 5G deployment, claiming that the frequencies utilized by the telecom firms are very similar to those used by onboard devices such as radar altimeters, which operate in the 4.2-4.4 GHz region.

Radar altimeters

The radio or radar altimeter is a compact, low-power radar device that operates in the microwave C-band at frequencies ranging from 4.2 to 4.4 GHz.
These altimeters' high frequency allows airplane manufacturers to install compact antennae that provide strong signals that can be delivered fast and precisely.
An altimeter is essential for all aerial vehicles, whether they be airplanes, spacecraft, or missiles. It measures altitude and distance traveled.
Altimeters are of three main kinds:

barometric
laser
radio or radar altimeters

Most commercial passenger and freight airplanes utilize a combination of all these altimeters plus a global positioning system (GPS) to estimate their course, as well as considerations such as

height above sea level
presence of highrises, mountains, and other obstacles
the likely flying time

Progress of 5G in India

In India, where 5G has yet to be implemented, the frequency range for 5G telecom operations is estimated to be between 3.3 and 3.68 GHz.
According to reports, the Federation of Indian Pilots raised worry about the frequencies being so close together during discussions with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
However, the DoT assured them that there would be no interference because commercial 5G service frequencies were at least 530 MHz distant from those used by altimeters.